Sketchbook - Day 1

And so it begins, my new endeavor to work in a sketchbook every day. My drawing skills are limited, my painting skills even more so, but drawing is the basis of my fabric art, so this will give me practice.

I'm limiting myself to 45 minutes maximum every day.

This sketchy painting was done with marker, watercolors and pencil. It's a start, anyway!

Hope you're having a great day!

Starting Sketchbooks - Again!

This week I decided that I want to do some kind of drawing or sketching every day. I'm so inspired by Jennifer at August Wren, who does daily paintings. I really love her work.

So I spent some time at my local art supply store. When I go there I need to carefully peruse every aisle -  it's just so inspiring! I finally focused on sketchbooks and fell in love with this small art book for my purse. It's light enough to be manageable, has a magnetic closure and hard covers - perfect! Then I wanted something that would stand up to watercolor pencils. I ended up going to the paper aisle and found this Strathmore mixed media pad. Thick pages, nice size (6 x 8 1/2) and spiral bound - just what I wanted.

 When I got home, I covered the larger pad with a fabric I like. The smaller sketchbook went straight into my purse and was put into action the next day while Bill and I took a little trip. 

 Just little doodles - I'm in the habit of making little sketches when I'm riding in the car or waiting for appointments. Now I need to get in the habit of doing larger drawings and paintings each day.

I'm planning to put my sketches and paintings on my blog. Some of them will be inspirations for fabric art, some will be just for fun! Hope you'll give me some feedback to keep me going!

Wishing everyone beautiful summer days filled with lots of creativity!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Drawing

I finished up this drawing today, enjoying the process and not worrying about the results. I used Micron pens, extra-fine Sharpies and watercolor pencils. This reminds me of Rosie, who tries to eat flowers. Looks like she is resting in a potential salad of blossoms! (Yes, I keep flowers away from her!)

(Click to enlarge)

Hope you are having a great week!

Savor Summer - Joy List Monday

I have a confession to make:

I am not a summer person.

I have a friend who loves summer so much, we call her "Summer Girl".

She loves the beach, being on Cape Cod, the ocean and walking in the sand.

I love air conditioning and fans, being inside and emerging on a cool day,

catching up on projects, and looking out at my tiny garden outside my porch.

So, my joy list today is about INSIDE projects!

I've been working on framing some prints I've had squirreled away for years.

I worked in an art and framing gallery in New York, so I've purchased a mat

cutter and tools over time and set up shop on my dining room table!

This is a cute card I found in my travels - don't know the artist.

It makes me smile.

This is a print of a painting by a friend. The light switch determined the hanging space.

                                           

I love Chagall!

We bought this poster the weekend my daughter's wearable technology work was exhibited 

at MOMA. We visited that museum and the Met - a great memory!

Love this Matisse print!

And some Georgia O'Keefe flowers in 2 different rooms.

Using ready-made frames and cutting mats myself saved a lot of money.

My husband gave me full rein to choose the artwork. (great guy!)

Another whimsical project - adapting a t shirt!

This inexpensive cotton shirt has a lot of beige in it, which 

is NOT a color that looks good on me.

So, I stretched it over a plastic bin cover and have started "coloring" it in

with some fabric paints, which will be permanent when I heat-set them.

I'm not being too careful, so progress is fast. I'm planning to make it "my"

colors - pinks, reds, purples and greens. I'll let you know how it comes out!

So, my joy list is

Being productive in the summer heat

Enjoying my air conditioned house

Preparing for a special visitor this week

Having fun with painting

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Joy List Monday

Again, joining with Anne Butera at My Giant Strawberry, I'm making a joy list! What fun!

I'm finding joy in:

The warm sun

The turkey family that visited this week

The beautiful green that is all around

A weekend spent with my wonderful husband

The beautiful blue sky 

My love of creativity, which feeds my soul

and finally, getting back to blogging!

Here's wishing you a fabulous week as we all

Savor Summer!!

Savoring Summer

And so, we are into July already, and
I'm happy to be joining in on my friend Anne's celebration, 

 which she introduced on her blog recently.

What I'm taking from this is the chance to really notice the beauty of summer
and to make a Joy List every Monday, mentioning what I am savoring that week.
Here is my Joy List today:

I'm enjoying seeing my cats stretched out on the porch,

and keeping watch at the front door;

beautiful sunsets,

and our hydrangea bush in full bloom

as well as pretty yellow lilies!

Our days have been sunny, yet not too hot,

and I've been busy with organizing and a bit of artwork.

Hope you are savoring your summer days.

Wishing you a beautiful week!

An Exhibit and A Reception

Since my last blog post, I've been working constantly on fabric pictures for an exhibit at the wonderful Create Artisan Studio, where I frequently take classes. I knew that I wanted to concentrate on faces, which I love to draw, and that evolved into the idea of adding little stories to them and calling the exhibit "Narrative Portraits". I then decided to focus on women, and they became "Empowered Women" - a lot to live up to!

Here are my ladies:

 

…and, finally, this is my depiction of my wonderful daughter:

The reception for the show was so heartwarming - a lovely turnout of old and new friends - more than I ever expected. Here are some photos:

And, finally, me with my supportive husband, Bill! Couldn't have done it without him!

It was so good to work so hard toward a goal and have such a satisfying result. I'm very grateful to have had this terrific opportunity!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Smiles...

   Judy